Moose seen ‘hanging out’ in Park City

People approach the animals as sightings continue

Two moose were seen along Lucky John Drive on Monday morning, continuing a series of wildlife reports in Park City that included moose in several locations. Wildlife moved to lower elevations as a result of heavy snows early in the winter. The Park City Police Department has logged recent reports of moose sightings on Park Avenue, Sullivan Road and Holiday Ranch Loop Road.

The Park City Police Department last week responded to a series of calls about moose or other wildlife sightings, continuing a string of cases that has continued through much of the winter.

The cases last week include sightings of moose close to roads. Public police logs did not indicate there were problems, however.

Some of the reports last week included:

on Saturday, March 11 at 10:08 a.m., a cow moose and a calf were seen somewhere along Park Avenue. The police were told people were surrounding the animals. Some of the people were within a few feet of the moose, the police were told.

on Friday, March 10 at 6:51 p.m., someone told the police they saw a moose "hanging out" near a creek. The report was logged on Sullivan Road, a small street that borders City Park and is close to Poison Creek.

on March 10 at 5:37 p.m., two moose were seen in the road along Holiday Ranch Loop Road. The police were told people were taking pictures. The person who contacted the Police Department was worried people were getting too close to the moose, according to police logs.

on March 10 at 7:41 a.m., two moose were seen close to the road on Kearns Boulevard. The person who contacted the Police Department was worried the animals would move into the road.

on Tuesday, March 7 at 4:38 p.m., two moose were seen in the road along Thaynes Canyon Drive. Drivers needed to stop, the police were told.There were several other moose sightings reported to the Police Department in addition to a series of other wildlife reports without the species identified in public police logs.

The Police Department this winter has responded to numerous wildlife reports, including moose, deer and mountain lions.

State wildlife officials have said the animals moved to lower elevations after the heavy snowfall during the early winter. The animals that feed on vegetation needed to move down from the higher elevations to find food sources while the mountain lions followed the prey animals to lower elevations, the wildlife officials said.

Some of the moose have posed a hazard for drivers. A private transportation bus hit a moose on S.R. 224 in January, leaving the animal with injuries that required it be put down.

Recommended Stories For You

Police officers responding to a moose report typically ensure people do not approach the animal. If a moose becomes a continuing problem, state wildlife officials consider relocating the animal out of Park City. The animals are typically tranquilized, loaded into a trailer and released into mountainous areas well outside of populated areas during a relocation operation.

Phil Kirk, a police captain, said he spotted two moose off Lucky John Drive on Monday morning. The animals could be siblings, he said. Kirk said people must be cautious around moose, especially when a cow and a calf are together. He said a cow moose may see a person as a threat to the calf. Kirk said the moose move into neighborhoods to find food sources.

"There's a lot of vegetation down here, especially in people's yards, and they're taking advantage of that," Kirk said.